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boneglorious (718907) writes "Funding is being sought by startup company DrinkSavvy to complete a prototype of drinkware (cups, straws, etc) that turn from clear to red-striped when they come into contact with drugs such as Rohypnol. The article makes the point that in order to be attractive to bars, it will need to not be too expensive. However, if this proves successful, I suspect some drinkers will be willing to bring their own cup to the bar."Link to Original Source

boneglorious (718907) writes "As reported in Slate (http://tiny.cc/ne9ngw) a team from Rice University report in the most recent issue of Nature (http://tiny.cc/is9ngw) that they have formulated the components of rechargable batteries into a liquid with which they then coated objects in such a way as to duplicate the layered dipole structure of a battery.

This technique was applied to a number of substrates, including glazed ceramic tile and an ordinary beer mug. The battery was then connected to a charging source. I take some issue with the Slate headline because the beer mug did not actually "become a power source" in that the battery itself was then connected to a solar cell for charging. However, my main concern is that the graduate students have not yet begun selling the obvious product, rechargable reheating coffee mugs, on thinkgeek where I can purchase one yet. Unfortunately for my daily displeasure at discovering my caffeine source has grown cold, this is currently a rather expensive process due to the safety risks of the caustic chemicals involved, and to the sensitivity of the constituents to oxygen and moisture."Link to Original Source

boneglorious (718907) writes "As reported in Slate (http://tiny.cc/ne9ngw) a team from Rice University report in the most recent issue of Nature (http://tiny.cc/ph9ngw) that they have formulated the components of rechargable batteries into a liquid with which they then coated objects in such a way as to duplicate the layered dipole structure of a battery.

This technique was applied to a number of substrates, including glazed ceramic tile and an ordinary beer mug. The battery was then connected to a charging source. I take some issue with the Slate article because the beer mug did not actually "become a power source" in that the battery itself was then connected to a solar cell for charging. In addition to the obvious application of making rechargable reheating coffee bugs, this could also be applied to actual power sources. However, due to the safety risks of the caustic chemicals required and the sensitivity of the constituents to oxygen and moisture, this is currently a rather expensive process."Link to Original Source

boneglorious (718907) writes "Cynthia Breazeal's robotics group at MIT, long known for such things as the robotic flower garden, has switched their attention to non-traditional printing media. Using a sugar solution that is fused together during the printing process, they have created such goodies as Batwing Crunching (Everquest) and Crispy Bat Wings (World of Warcraft). For the moment, they all just taste like sugar, but Breazeal has plans for adding sound, smell, and an appealing swaying motion to improve user's experience of the product."

boneglorious (718907) writes "Thought it was cool when you started being able to order pizza from within Everquest? Wouldn't it be cooler if you could order Batwing Crunchies while playing Everquest, but Crispy Bat Wings while playing WOW, and print them out? A pair of M.I.T. grad students have taken us one step closer to this by releasing a "conceptual design" for a 3d printer that uses food to build up a 3d shape. Unfortunately, it's still only a design, dashing many geeks' dreams of never having to leave their computer, but there is already a candy printer that works by fusing sugar together into very interesting-looking 3d objects, so this may not be as far away as it seems."

boneglorious (718907) writes "Thought it was cool when you started being able to order pizza from within Everquest? Wouldn't it be cooler if you could order Murloc Fin Soup while playing WOW, and print it out? A pair of M.I.T. grad students have taken us one step closer to this by releasing a "conceptual design" for a 3d printer that uses food to build up a 3d shape. Unfortunately, it's still only a design, dashing many geeks' dreams of never having to leave their computer, but there is already a candy printer that works by fusing sugar together into very interesting-looking 3d objects, so this may not be as far away as it seems."Link to Original Source

boneglorious (718907) writes "As a graduate student, I have to read a lot of academic papers in pdf format, so I'd like to get an ebook reader just for this purpose. I wouldn't mind being able to read other things, but pdfs are definitely my main concern. I'd like recommendations for the best ebook reader for this situation.

Most ebook readers seem too small. The iRex Digital Reader 1000 looks good due to the larger screen size, but at $850, it's quite a bit pricier than, say, the Kindle. Any DR1000 readers care to comment on its good and/or bad points?

The Kindle doesn't have pdf support, but you can email pdfs to Amazon and they'll send them to your Kindle, reformatted. Does this work? If so, how do the pdfs look? Do they still have images? Are the pages just shrunk or ar they actually repaginated so the text is big enough to read?